A Rainout Blog Hall of Fame? Yes… let’s do this

How about we start a Rainout Blog Sports/Weather Hall of Fame?

Not just me, all of us. You, too.

I’ve been thinking about doing this project for a while, ever since I made a post about Rick Dempsey way back in July, 2007.

So, what makes a Rainout Blog Hall of Famer? I’ve been wrestling with that question for a while.

(Warning: Here goes a lot rambling…)

At first, I was thinking of individuals who have had outstanding performances in a bad weather games. While his performances did not happen while games were in play, Dempsey certainly made his mark performing on soaked tarps during rain delays.

To me, the notoriety Dempsey received for his acts make him a first-ballot Rainout Blog Hall of Famer. Also, I think we need to give Dempsey credit for the rash of rain delay antics we saw a few years ago by college baseball games. With those 1970s performances, we may not have seen those elaborate, choreographed acts performed by want-to-be thespian college ball players. 

So, we’ve established that qualifications for entry into the RoBHoF are not exclusive to great on-field game performances. If a player, or coach, or fan, or whomever – how about a horse? Sure! – performs in a manner that is widely recognized, then that person, or whatever, can be considered for induction. 

A performance that is good or bad, right?

Right.

That brings us to Leon Lett. 

Remember Lett’s gaffe in the snow during in the 1993 Thanksgiving Day game that snatched defeat for his Cowboys from the jowls of victory? Of course you remember. We all remember.

I’m not comparing the moment to far more significant historic events, but I remember exactly where I was when the play happened.

For that one play in the snow, an unusual snow game for Texas Stadium, Lett is a Rainout Blog Hall of Famer. 

First ballot? We’ll debate that later.

So, who else? Hmmm. 

We’ll, LeShean McCoy had more than 200 yards rushing to lead the Eagles to a win over the Lions in blizzard-like conditions a couple of weeks ago. Does that qualify? 

Maybe.

It was great day for McCoy, but is it his performance that stands out about that game?

No. It’s the snow.

Ok. So, do we induct events/games in to the hall of fame?

If so, the Ice Bowl has to be the leading candidate. And when I think of weather games, I immediately think of the Fog Bowl playoff game at Soldier Field in 1988. There are many, many others to consider.

If I’m going to do this, take the time for such an uber fun project as creating a sports/weather hall of fame, it’s going to take a lot of time, thought and research. 

Wanna help? 

If you have suggestions or creative ideas for the project, I’ll gladly accept. Send me an email or tweet (@TheRealChadOz).

Dust Delay

I don’t have much information about this Reuters photo, only that it’s a picture of a group of men caught in a dust storm while playing cricket in Kabul on Monday. Info or not, it’s a super cool photo.

Another Day, Another Cricket Delay

From AFP: Sri Lankan batsmen Chamara Silva (left) and Tillakaratne Dilshan walk off as heavy rain stops play in Melbourne on February 22, 2008. Sri Lanka's chances of reaching the tri-series finals were dealt a serious blow when Australia beat them by 24 runs in a rain-shortened one-day match.

Promises Are Made To Be Broken

I made a promise here sometime last year that I would never again write about cricket rain delays. I'm breaking the promise today. I have nothing against cricket; I just know nothing about the sport. But we are experiencing a bit of downtime on The Rainout Blog as we are caught between football and baseball seasons. Plus, I love this Reuters photo. The pic was taken Tuesday from behind a window at a soggy Seddon Park during the second one-day match between New Zealand and England. The cricket park is located in Hamilton, New Zealand. There's a great photo of a sunny day at Seddon Park on the facility's web site.

If you're still jonesing for more cricket rain delay information, check this photo and cutline.

Rain delays start Cricket Contest

If ever a sport needed to be played indoors...

It Rains When They Rub Their Legs Together

If I've said it once, I've said it once: If you want to end a drought, stage a cricket match. It seems to rain at every single match played. I know I said back in the summer that I wasn't going to post anymore stories about cricket match rain delays. I wanted to stick to that unwritten rule, but I really like this photo. Plus, I need to stir up my international foul-weather readers. Anyway, the photo here was taken during a rain delay during the second match of the – hang with me here – Chappel-Hadle one-day series in Sydney, Australia. I'm not sure what that is, but if you know, you could be eligible to win a free stick of Rainout Blog deodorant. Good luck.

Last Day of Cricket Delays

I swore I was no longer going to blog about rain delays in the Cricket World Cup, but a couple things changed my mind. One: the most recent rain fall came in the championship match, so this will be the last of what has been many rain delays halting this long, drawn-out championship tournament played in Barbados. The second item that changed my mind was the photo above of a fan of team Australia attempting to cover up during the showers. It's not often we get to feature hotties like the one above in a sports weather blog. That pic has to improve our hit numbers dramatically. In case you wondering about the match, Australia won, we here, by 53 runs over Sri Lanka for its third consecutive title and fourth overall. Apparently there was a controversial decision made by match officials that somehow led the Sri Lanka team to play in virtual darkness near the end. What? Are there no lights in Barbados? Anyway, if you want to read the entire story from someone who covers cricket and apparently knows the sport, here ya go! If you need further proof of rain and the three-hour delay it caused, see the photo below.



Weather Term of the Day:
CUMULONIMBUS -- A vertically developed cumulus cloud, often capped by an anvil-shaped cirriform cloud. Also called a thunderstorm cloud, it is frequently accompanied by heavy showers, lightning, thunder, and sometimes hail, tornadoes or strong, gusty winds.